Tianzhu (Chinese name of God)
| Tianzhu | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Catholic church in Tai'an, with sign reading 天主堂 (tiānzhǔ táng, "Hall of the Lord of Heaven") | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 天主 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Heaven Master | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Tianzhu (
History
The word first appeared in Michele Ruggieri's Chinese translation of the Decalogo, or Ten Commandments.[1] In 1584, Ruggieri and Matteo Ricci published their first catechism, Tiānzhǔ shílù (天主實錄, The Veritable Record of the Lord of Heaven).[2]
Matteo Ricci later wrote a catechism entitled Tiānzhŭ Shíyì (天主實義, The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven).[1][2]
Following the
Chinese rites controversy, the term Tiānzhŭ was officially adopted by the Pope in 1715, who rejected alternative terms such as Tiān (天, "Heaven") and Shàngdì (上帝, "Supreme Emperor").[3]
"
characters are used in the Korean words for Catholicism and Catholic believer.See also
- Chinese rites controversy
- Names of God
- Names of God in China
- Shangdi
- Shen (Chinese religion)
- Tian
References
- ^ a b c Manufacturing Confucianism: Chinese traditions & universal civilization by Lionel M. Jensen p.73
- ^ a b The Jesuits: cultures, sciences, and the arts, 1540-1773, Volume 1 by John W. O'Malley p.365
- ^ Chinese Christians in America: conversion, assimilation, and adhesive identities by Fenggang Yang p.52
- ^ "Catholic", in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
- ^ "tú" in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
Further reading
- Wise Man from the West: Matteo Ricci and His Mission to China, New York: Dutton.
- 天主 (中國)